CORRIMAL v BULLI | IPL ROUND 4 | MATCH REPORT
A stunning attacking display from Bulli saw them put five past a wayward Corrimal side at Memorial Park on Friday night.
The match finished with a five-goal flurry in the final 20 minutes but the result continued Bulli’s unbeaten start to the league.
It was Corrimal starting the better of the two sides, pressing Bulli’s defensive line inside the opening 10 minutes.
The Rangers controlled the field positioning and were almost rewarded with a goal if it wasn’t for a low save from Ben McGinnes that kept Tobias Norval at bay.
Bulli responded with a chance of their own in the 15th minute when Mitch Del Turco’s shot slammed into the near post.
In the 19th minute, Bulli almost put the ball into their own net as a retreating Kyle Jackson forced a save out of his own goalkeeper in McGinnes.
Bulli then opened the scoring as Joel Beattie headed home at the back post following Guy Knight’s cross from the left.
Luke Van Zyl wanted in on the action and almost doubled his side’s advantage if it wasn’t for a reflex stop from close range by Ryan Norval.
The Rangers continued to press the back third as Norval dispossessed Jackson deep in the Bulli half.
McGinnes was up for it again, saving the low shot to keep his side in the lead.
In the 33rd minute, Ben McDonald evaded the Rangers’ offside trap as he ran onto a through ball from Van Zyl.
The striker kept his composure, powering into the roof of the net to make it 2-0 going into the break.
Corrimal began the second half with the same energy as they started the first but it was Bulli almost going three ahead as Van Zyl danced his way into the box.
The winger tapped it back to Del Turco after rounding the goalkeeper but a retreating Corrimal defence forced a scuffed shot from the midfielder with the ball rolling wide.
Sandy Lowcock provided some spark off the bench when his free-kick deflected wide before his powerful volley off the corner skimmed past the left post in the 63rd minute.
Three minutes later, Corrimal thought they pulled one back but it took the strong hand of McGinnes to deny Fabian Iacovelli on the break.
It seemed to be a vital save for the Bulli goalkeeper, as Beattie was found wide open on the right after a switched ball from Aaron Baker.
Beattie, with all the time in the world, kept his cool, placing it below Ryan Norval for Bulli’s third.
Rick Goodchild pulled one back from the spot when Ian Clarino brought down Iacovelli in the box in the 75th minute.
Baker then restored Bulli’s three-goal cushion just seconds later with a goal even Diego Maradona would be proud of – surging down field and beating several defenders before slotting it under the Corrimal goalkeeper.
It didn’t take long for Bulli to get their fifth when Nick Littler bombed forward to get on the end of Van Zyl’s cross before Corrimal scored a mere consolation goal as Lowcock got a shin on Iacovelli’s low cross with only a few minutes remaining.
Bulli proved too good in the end, picking up their second win of the season and taking them to seven points – a welcomed tonic after a disappointing FFA Cup exit just 48 hours earlier.
Bulli have back-to-back Friday night matches with a trip to Crehan Park to face Cringila scheduled for round five.
The loss for Corrimal now sees them with just one win from four to starts this season.
They travel to Ocean Park next weekend to take on Woonona.
Corrimal: 2 (Rick Goodchild 75’, Sandy Lowcock 84’)
Bulli: 5 (Joel Beattie 20’ 70’, Ben McDonald 33’, Aaron Baker 76’, Nick Littler 81’)
Corrimal: 1. NORVAL Ryan, 2. SKURTEVSKI Taylan, 3. PENDER Dean, 4. YOUSSEF Peter, 5. BELSITO Nathan, 6. GUIDO Paul, 7. IACOVELLI Fabian, 8. NORVAL Tobias, 10. GOODCHILD Rick, 11. KELLY Daniel.
Substitutes: 9. LOWCOCK Sandy (CARRENO), 12. GALANTI Matthew (PENDER), 14. ACEV Brad (SKURTEVSKI), 15. BORG Reice, 41. HARRIS Liam.
Bulli: 1. MCGINNES Ben, 2. JACKSON Kyle, 3. HARRIS Jack, 4. BAKER Aaron, 7. VAN ZYL Luke, 9. MCDONALD Ben, 10. DEL TURCO Mitch, 11. BEATTIE Joel, 15. LITTLER Nick, 16. KNIGHT Guy, 50. CLARINO Ian.
Substitutes: 6. DAVIES Sam (DEL TURCO), 8. LEVY Jake (KNIGHT), 12. LLOYD Harry (BEATTIE), 21. KLUDASS Braeden.
Date: 16 April 2021
Venue: Memorial Park
Referee: Brodie Merchant
Assistant Referee: Damien Dennelly and Adam Naylor
Report by Nathan Turner, on Twitter @nathanturner23_
Photo by Dana Walker
